Topics

Categories

Top Topics in News

A Co Antrim GAA club has been targeted in a sectarian graffiti attack.

The letters ‘UVF' were scrawled on a wall at the entrance to St Mary's GAA club in Rasharkin overnight on Thursday.

The loyalist slogan ‘No Surrender' also appeared while a UVF flag was draped across the wall at the playing fields.

A mainly nationalist village, Rasharkin has been at the centre of a bitter parades dispute in recent years.

A club spokesman revealed the attack is the third in recent months.

“We are disappointed it has happened,” he said.

“It's totally pointless, there's no reason behind it, what is it going to achieve?”

The club representative said he does not know why it has have been singled out.

“I don't know why we are being targeted, we are a sporting organisation and involved in a lot of cross community work," he said.

“The people who are doing this are not a bit interested in that.”

North Antrim MLA Philip McGuigan said people were "quite rightly very angry and annoyed this is happening on a regular basis".

"The GAA club in Rasharkin is a shining example of what is good and positive in a community and the people responsible for these hate-filled sectarian attacks are the complete opposite," he said adding more needed to be done to stop further attacks.

“It is also clear that the PSNI need to do more to bring those responsible for such hate crimes before the courts.

“The people responsible are anti-Catholic, anti-Irish and anti-community but should not be allowed to succeed in raising tensions as is their intention."